The Fundamentals of Product Design teaches students the key principles and processes of product design. Writing a book about product design can be challenging because it is a discipline that touches on so many subject areas. A book that covers all of these subjects in any detail will extend to many volumes. So product design books tend to break the subject down into parts and cover different perspectives. This book aims to provide a little of all of these books in one. By touching on a variety of key areas, it aims to provide pointers to designers as to what to think about and where to go next. In so doing it also aims to provide an integrated and cohesive view of the design process that students of design can sometimes find hard to grasp.

Introduction

How to use this book

Chapter 1: Product ideas

Imagination

Case study: Wayne Hemingway

People's needs

Case study: Matthew White

Chapter summary

Chapter 2: The product brief

Defining needs

Case study: Emmanuel Laffon de Mazieres

Market trends

Case study: Luigi Colani

Product requirements

Case study: Jonathan lye

Chapter summary

Chapter 3: Design solutions

Meeting needs

Case study: Droog

Concept development

Case study: Josef Cadek

Functionality

Case study: d3o

Chapter summary

Chapter 4: Production

Development

Case study: Tom Dixon

Manufacturing

Case study: Assa Ashuach

Operations

Case study: Salter Housewares

Chapter summary

Chapter 5: The marketplace

Preparing to sell

Case study: Sir James Dyson

Marketing

Case study: Vertu

Chapter summary

Conclusion

Further resources

Acknowledgements

Working with ethics